Why Task Cards Are a Must Have for {EVERY} Classroom!

Hey friends! It's Ashley from Teach Create Motivate! 

I know you are probably enjoying your summer...as you should be!! Even so, if you buy task cards for your class and are not sure of all the different ways you can use them, then save this post for when you are thinking about bts!

First, if you haven't already, you want to make sure you print your task cards on card stock and then laminate them! I laminate quickly at home with my scotch laminator. It is the most convenient thing ever! This helps them last and makes for easy storage! 

Task cards are one of my favorite things EVER for my kiddos! They can cover all different types of skills and there are so many ways to use them!! I am going to tell you about a few different ways I use them in my class!

1. A "Hunt" or "Solve the Room" I do this a lot!! My students do this as part of a station rotation or when they finish a grade of some sort. I usually give them a recording sheet I have made but sometimes they just use their notebook! I post the cards around the room (they are numbered and out of order) and they just hunt away! We then check them as a class, or the task cards may have a QR code for easy student assessment of their own work! 

Here are some pictures of my Halloween and Fall Math hunt. 

2. Use them in stations!! I use task cards as one of my station rotations many times! I put them all together with devices and recording sheets and have my kids go at it! They are so engaged! 

These are place value task cards to review our place value unit!

3. I also love to use task cards as a fast finisher activity! Here I projected a reminder poster about what it means to make an inference. Then I had my students go to the floor to practice making inferences using the task cards when they were finished with task a, b, c. 

4. My students love using them as Scoot! This is where I place a card on each desk and they move around to solve them. We then check them together. 

5. Another way I use task cards in my classroom is by using my Elmo, or document camera. This is great when it comes to test prep. I put one card projected on the board and have each individual student, partner group, or table group solve the problem. Then we go over it together. This helps me assess who is understanding very quickly. 

6. Lastly- Small groups!! When pulling students to my teacher table I may grab some task cards. Even if my students have done them in stations, it is a great review and I can really tell which students are getting the math concept, reading skill, etc and which students need some more one on one help! The students love the task cards and are more willing to stay engaged with me during that time. 

Task cards are such an asset to any classroom! I hope you find this post useful this coming school year!!